THE deteriorating state of piers, harbours and slipways along the West Cork coast was raised by a West Cork senator in the Seanad last week.

Cork South West Fine Gael Senator Noel O’Donovan, along with Senator Mark Duffy, urged Minister of State Timmy Dooley to clarify whether any plans are in place to address the development and maintenance of coastal infrastructure. Senator O’Donovan stressed that coastal infrastructures were not luxuries but lifelines for many in the West Cork community and across the country.

‘They support fishing families, connect island communities and sustain tourism in some of the most economically important parts of rural Ireland. Yet many are deteriorating. Years of underinvestment combined with increasingly severe weather have left them unsafe, unreliable und unfit for future demand,’ he said.

He pointed out the state of Keelbeg Pier in Union Hall and Palace Pier near Ardgroom on the Beara Peninsula where mussel fishermen were using a pier extension to work during low tide.

He also spoke about the dredging required for boats to access Kinsale harbour safely, as well as the development of a new marina in Schull or the Marine Activities Centre in Bantry, both of which weren’t moving ahead.

‘We should be more ambitious for our coastline but the current process is not working I believe, Minister.’

Local authorities were asked to do more with limited resources, often short on staff and funding to maintain coastal infrastructure, the Senator added. A national review was needed to pinpoint what worked, what stalled and which delivery models proved most effective. To secure areas like West Cork, the government had to boost funding and reform how local projects were delivered.

Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Timmy Dooley (FF) said his department as part of its annual fishery, harbour and coastal development programme does provide limited discretionary funding to coastal local authorities for the implementation of small-scale projects focused on the development and repair of piers, harbours and slipways under their ownership.

He added that he also recently announced €4.3m in funding available to local authorities under the Marine Infrastructure Scheme 2026, which sees the department co-fund up to 75% of a project’s cost up to a maximum of €187,000.

‘I don’t think the €4.3m is enough for local authorities. I think we need to review how local authorities apply process and develop coastal infrastructure,’ said Sen O’Donovan..